Endless web corrugating machine



Sept 25, 1956 vv. L. KNOWLES 2,764,193

ENDLESS WEB CORRUGATING MACHINE Filed Jan. ll, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet l (QJ 35 ATTcmwmS SePt- 25, 1956 w. L. KNowLEs ENDLEss WEB CORRUGATING MACHINE (5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. ll, 1954` Sept. 25, 1956 W. 1 KNowLEs 2,764,193

ENDLESS WEB CORRUGATING MACHINE Filed Jan. ll, 1954 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 46' 44 INVENTOR 6i; -Z'Q- V W.K720 wS :Sm/gy r/ BY 7 ATTORNEYS Unite States Patent ENDLESS WEB CORRUGATING MACHINE William Lee Knowles, Augusta, Ga., assignor to Coru- Ply Corporation, North Augusta, S. C.

Application January 11, 1954, Serial No. 403,220 3 Claims. (Cl. 144-254) This invention relates to a machine for corrugating wood, and is an improvement over the structure embodied in my co-pending application, Serial No. 391,258, filed November i0, 1953, for Machine for Making Currugated Wood.

An object of this invention is to provide a machine embodying endless corrugating elements with a pair of endless webs which provide a cushioning means between the elements so that the required pressure may be applied to the elements to effect corrugation of the material and adherence of the plies or laminations with each other.

Another object of this invention is to provide a corrugating machine embodying upper and lower series of corrugating bars secured to upper and lower chains, with an endless cushioning web engaging about each series of chains.

A further object of this invention is to provide a corrugating machine wherein the corrugating elements are disposed in a heated cabinet or housing which is so formed that the heat in the cabinet will not strike the laminating material prior to the engagement of the material between the corrugating elements.

With the above and other objects in View, my invention consists in the arrangement, combination and details of construction disclosed in the drawings and specication, and then more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a detailed side elevation of an endless web corrugating machine constructed according to an embodiment of this invention.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section taken through the machine.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary front elevation, partly in section, of the machine.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary vertical section on an enlarger scale at the leading or intake end of the machine.

Figure 5 is a detailed end elevation of one of the upper corrugating bars.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary cross-sectional View of the material treated in this machine.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 10 designates generally a frame structure which is formed of base frame bars 11 and upper frame bars 12. The upper frame bars 12 are vertically adjustable by means of a plurality of threaded rods 13 having adjusting nuts 14 and 15 threaded thereon.

The base bars 11 have lixed thereto a horizontal relatively thick pressure plate 16, and the upper bars 12 have lixed thereto an upper pressure plate 17. The lower plate f6 has fixed to the upper and lower sides thereof a plurality of rails 18 and 19 respectively, and the upper and lower sides of the upper pressure plate 17 has iixed thereto a plurality of longitudinal rails 20 and 21.

An upper pair of shafts 22 and 23 are rotatably carried by the upper frame members 12, and a lower pair of ICC" shafts 24 and 25 are rotatably carried by the lower frame members 12.

A plurality of upper endless chains 26 engage about upper sprockets 27 and 28 which are fixed to the upper shafts 22 and 23, and lower chains 29 engage about lower sprockets 30 and 31 which are xed to the lower shafts 24 and 25.

An upper series of elongated corrugating bars 32 are secured to the upper chains 26, and a lower series of elongated corrugating bars 33 are secured to the lower chains 29. Each upper corrugating bar 32 has mounted at each end thereof an outwardly projecting roller 34 which is adapted to engage in the teeth 35 of control sprockets 36 which are secured to a forward shaft 37.

The sprockets 36 are adapted to guide the upper corrugating bars 32 as these bars move downwardly to pressure applying position with respect to the lower corrugating bars 33. The upper rear shaft 22 has fixed thereto a gear 38 which meshes with a gear 39 mounted on a shaft 40 rotatably carried by the upper portion of the upper frame bars 12. The shaft 40 has a sprocket 41 fixed thereon about which a chain 42 engages, and chain 42 also engages about adriving sprocket 43` fixed on a drive shaft 44 connected with a reduction gearing 45.

Shaft 24 has fixed thereon a gear 46 meshing with gear 38 so that the lower corrugating bars 33 will move with the upper corrugating bars 32. The shaft 25 has fixed thereon a gear 47 which meshes with a gear 48 mounted on shaft 37.

An upper endless web 49 engages about the upper series of corrugating bars 32 being formed with a horizontal run engageable between the upper and lower corrugating bars 32 and 33. The web 49 engages about a series of horizontally disposed upper idler rollers 50 which are rotatably disposed within an upper housing member 51.

The upper housing member 51 is formed with downwardly and inwardly inclined front and rear walls 52 and 53 respectively, and a lower housing member 54 encompasses the lower serie of corrugating bars 33 and is formed with an upwardly and inwardly inclined front wall S5 and a substantially vertical rear wall 56.

A horizontal top wall 57 extends inwardly from the rear wall 56 and provides a table or platform on which the corrugated and laminated material is adapted to engage.

A lower endless web 58 engages about the lower series of corrugating bars 33 and engages about a lower series of idler rollers 59 and 60 disposed horizontally across the lower portion of lower housing member 54. The upper housing member 51 has mounted in the upper portion thereof a series of heating means 61, and the lower housing member 54 has mounted therein a lower series of heating members 62.

A pair of pressure rollers 63 and 64 are carried by supporting means 65 and 66 which are secured to the front rods 13, and the rollers 63 and 64 are adjustable toward or away from each other so that the material which is to be corrugated will initially pass between the rollers 63 and 64.

The material which is to be corrugated is formed of an inner lamination 67 of wood, and a pair of outer laminations 68 formed of paper or the like. The grain of the wood lamination 67 preferably runs length-wise of the corrugating bars 32 so that when the wood lamination enters between the confronting corrugating members 32 and 33 the wood will be bent to the contiguration of the bars 32 and 33.

It will be understood that the outer paper laminations 68 may be coated on their inner faces with an adhesive which under pressure and heat will become cured so that the corrugated sheet formed of the outer and inner laminations will retain its corrugated shape. It desired, the adhesive may be applied to the opposite faces of the inner wood lamination 67.

The endless webs 49 and 58 are preferably formed of rubber, or other suitable cushioning and readily bendable material, which will assume the configuration of the confronting faces of the corrugating members 32 and 33 when the web passes between the upper and lower series of corrugating members.

In the use and operation of this device, the interior of the housing formed of the upper and lower housing members is heated to substantially 260 to 325 F. The moisture content of the lamination is approximately 8%. The adhesive used in the formation of the corrugated lamination is such as to become cured or set within a. period of from 10 to 20 seconds.

It will be understood that the time for setting or curing of the adhesive may be greater or less than that herein stated, depending on the particular character of the adhesive. The heat in the cabinet formed of the upper and lower housing members 51 and 54 will fuse the lignin or moisture in the cells of the wood so that the bending under heat of the wood will provide for a permanent retaining of the bent shape after the wood passes from between the corrugating bars 32 and 33.

What is claimed is:

1. A corrugating machine comprising a frame, upper and lower endless chains in said frame having horizontal upper and lower runs, the lower runs of said upper chains confronting the upper runs of said lower chains, a plurality of corrugating bars secured to said upper and lower chains, and upper and lower endless webs completely encompassing said upper and lower corrugating bars with said webs formed of a ilexible readily bendable cushioning material.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein means are provided on said frame for adjusting the upper corrugating bars with relation to the lower corrugating bars to provide for the corrugation of material of different thicknesses.

3. A device as claimed in claim 2, wherein said upper and lower corrugating bars are provided with a housing mounted on said frame, and heating means are arranged in said housing for maintaining said corrugating bars and the material being corrugated at an elevated temperature.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 785,786 Woli Mar. 20, 1905 850,338 Bolton Apr. 16, 1907 990,080 Thiebaut Apr. 18, 1911 1,284,771 Quinn Nov. 12, 1918 1,293,072 Ford Feb. 4, 1919 2,071,999 Dike Feb. 23, 1937 2,137,506 Osgood Nov. 22, 1938 2,350,996 Atkinson June 13, 1944 

